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| The Bubble |
Israeli director Eytan Fox's follow-up to his acclaimed international hit,
Walk on Water, is arguably his strongest film to date.
Working with frequent collaborator Gal Uchovsky, this vibrant new film defines the contradictions of daily life in modern Israel for a generation. It follows a trio of attractive Israeli twentysomethings who share a flat in Tel Aviv's hippest neighbourhood district, and who live and work in the proverbial 'bubble' - the chic cafés, shops and night-clubs of Tel Aviv - while ignoring the outside conflicts of the Middle East.
When one of them, Noam, a sweet-natured music-store clerk and reserve soldier, meets a handsome Palestinian named Ashraf, their escalating affair forces everyone to face reality in the most confronting ways.
Vacillating provocatively between romantic comedy and political tragedy,
The Bubble avoids the usual clichés, political speech-making and partisanship, and unfolds with bright visual style, unerringly suited to its timely subject. As always, Eytan Fox directs with compassion, but also with impatience for his characters' self-centredness.
This remarkably assured feature was a multiple prize-winner at this year's Berlin Film Festival.
